Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Life will prevail
Spring - a time of renewal, rebirth and new life. The earth comes alive again, the air is fresh and new, birds sing, flowers bloom, the grass is green again, the earth explodes with color.
As I sit here and reflect in the quietness of the early morning, I can see the sun rise and hear the birds sing. I know that all is well with the world, even in the midst of all that is happening. I think about what the disciples must have felt all those years ago the morning AFTER the crucifixion. The sun still rose, they were still alive, the earth didn't stop moving, birds didn't stop their singing but did any of that really matter to them, or did they even notice - their beloved Lord, teacher, leader, friend and brother was still dead and nothing could change that. I am sure to them, in a sense, life as they knew it was dead too, but God had a bigger plan.
It is hard to imagine what life must have been like back then. Perhaps they were in shock, disbelief, bewilderment. "Did this really happen, or was it all a bad dream?" - much the same way we feel when some sort of disaster or tragedy happens in life. I try to stop and think what it must have been like to have been there - they had devoted the last 3 years of their lives - and gave up everything they knew - to follow THIS man, sent from heaven, the promised Messiah and now he was just GONE. They must have felt like their lives were over too and could never get back what they had lost.
I am sure we have all felt that sense of loss or tragedy at some point in our lives.
I know the sorrow of losing a friend and loved one. Perhaps the first time really ever felt a loss so real was when my papaw died, the summer of 88 right before I started my senior year of high school. Although his death was "expected", for he had suffered strokes for several years, it still felt like a dream, like I was in a fog. And seeing him lying there so peaceful in his coffin with that silly Cincinnati Reds chicken that my sweet little cousin had given him was just about too much to handle. My entire life - 17 years - was spent going to Granny and Papaw's house at least one a week. Seeing him in his overalls, top hat and wing tip shoes, trudging out to the garden, sitting in his recliner eating his cornbread and buttermilk (at least 3 times a day), smiling and pointing his finger at you, man of few words, yet so loved by many. My entire life everyone that knew my grandparents, whether they were family or not, knew them only as Granny and Papaw Montgomery. They didn't have first names - Granny and Papaw were their names and defined who they were and how loved they were by so many people. Even though this was a sad time, I knew it was not the end because I WOULD see him again some day because of what Jesus did on the cross so many years ago and then rose again 3 days later.
But the disciples didn't know that peace yet because Jesus had not yet come back and how could he come back again - He was dead. They didn't have the peace in knowing they would see Him again - because they just couldn't understand or comprehend what had just happened. BUT God's perfect work was not yet finished. And what the disciples didn't know (but that we know now), was that God had a bigger surprise waiting for them just on the other side of a new sunrise.
So as we anticipate the celebration of our risen Savior on Easter Sunday, ponder today what life must have been like for the disciples and how lost, scared, lonely, confused, and uncertain about what life would be like without Jesus by their side EVERY SINGLE DAY. Today, we can thank God that we do not have to ponder what life is like without Jesus by our side every day. He is ALWAYS with us because HE is alive in the hearts of all believers who choose to trust in Him. And we have so many reminders today that he is still with us, especially at this time of year.
Easter not only constantly reminds me of our Savior and the life He gives, but I am also constantly reminded of my beloved Granny and Papaw - and ALL the Easter Sunday afternoons spent with family and hunting Easter eggs on Pershing Street. And it never failed that we always took an Easter pic under the dogwood tree in the front yard. As I see these trees blooming each year, all those memories of my childhood with Granny and Papaw flood my mind, and I just have to smile. The tree that also signifies life as I knew it, also signifies the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross - with its blooms of pink and white that have 4 petals apiece, in the shape of the crose with "red stained indentations" - symbolizing the nail pierced hands and feet of Jesus Christ as he bled and died on the cross - not just for my sins but for the sins of the WHOLE world.
https://www.plantmegreen.com/blogs/news/easter-and-the-legend-of-the-dogwood-tree
These are uncertain times. We are living out something that most of us never thought we would see in our lifetime - pandemic, quarantines, schools and businesses closed, families are separated due to travel restrictions, stay at home orders in place, essential healthcare workers putting their lives on the line every day. Life gets crazy and the world may be a scary place, but with the love of a Savior who sacrificed everything to bring new life - ALL can be right in the world again, and life will prevail.
As I sit here and reflect in the quietness of the early morning, I can see the sun rise and hear the birds sing. I know that all is well with the world, even in the midst of all that is happening. I think about what the disciples must have felt all those years ago the morning AFTER the crucifixion. The sun still rose, they were still alive, the earth didn't stop moving, birds didn't stop their singing but did any of that really matter to them, or did they even notice - their beloved Lord, teacher, leader, friend and brother was still dead and nothing could change that. I am sure to them, in a sense, life as they knew it was dead too, but God had a bigger plan.
It is hard to imagine what life must have been like back then. Perhaps they were in shock, disbelief, bewilderment. "Did this really happen, or was it all a bad dream?" - much the same way we feel when some sort of disaster or tragedy happens in life. I try to stop and think what it must have been like to have been there - they had devoted the last 3 years of their lives - and gave up everything they knew - to follow THIS man, sent from heaven, the promised Messiah and now he was just GONE. They must have felt like their lives were over too and could never get back what they had lost.
I am sure we have all felt that sense of loss or tragedy at some point in our lives.
I know the sorrow of losing a friend and loved one. Perhaps the first time really ever felt a loss so real was when my papaw died, the summer of 88 right before I started my senior year of high school. Although his death was "expected", for he had suffered strokes for several years, it still felt like a dream, like I was in a fog. And seeing him lying there so peaceful in his coffin with that silly Cincinnati Reds chicken that my sweet little cousin had given him was just about too much to handle. My entire life - 17 years - was spent going to Granny and Papaw's house at least one a week. Seeing him in his overalls, top hat and wing tip shoes, trudging out to the garden, sitting in his recliner eating his cornbread and buttermilk (at least 3 times a day), smiling and pointing his finger at you, man of few words, yet so loved by many. My entire life everyone that knew my grandparents, whether they were family or not, knew them only as Granny and Papaw Montgomery. They didn't have first names - Granny and Papaw were their names and defined who they were and how loved they were by so many people. Even though this was a sad time, I knew it was not the end because I WOULD see him again some day because of what Jesus did on the cross so many years ago and then rose again 3 days later.
But the disciples didn't know that peace yet because Jesus had not yet come back and how could he come back again - He was dead. They didn't have the peace in knowing they would see Him again - because they just couldn't understand or comprehend what had just happened. BUT God's perfect work was not yet finished. And what the disciples didn't know (but that we know now), was that God had a bigger surprise waiting for them just on the other side of a new sunrise.
So as we anticipate the celebration of our risen Savior on Easter Sunday, ponder today what life must have been like for the disciples and how lost, scared, lonely, confused, and uncertain about what life would be like without Jesus by their side EVERY SINGLE DAY. Today, we can thank God that we do not have to ponder what life is like without Jesus by our side every day. He is ALWAYS with us because HE is alive in the hearts of all believers who choose to trust in Him. And we have so many reminders today that he is still with us, especially at this time of year.
Easter not only constantly reminds me of our Savior and the life He gives, but I am also constantly reminded of my beloved Granny and Papaw - and ALL the Easter Sunday afternoons spent with family and hunting Easter eggs on Pershing Street. And it never failed that we always took an Easter pic under the dogwood tree in the front yard. As I see these trees blooming each year, all those memories of my childhood with Granny and Papaw flood my mind, and I just have to smile. The tree that also signifies life as I knew it, also signifies the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross - with its blooms of pink and white that have 4 petals apiece, in the shape of the crose with "red stained indentations" - symbolizing the nail pierced hands and feet of Jesus Christ as he bled and died on the cross - not just for my sins but for the sins of the WHOLE world.
https://www.plantmegreen.com/blogs/news/easter-and-the-legend-of-the-dogwood-tree
These are uncertain times. We are living out something that most of us never thought we would see in our lifetime - pandemic, quarantines, schools and businesses closed, families are separated due to travel restrictions, stay at home orders in place, essential healthcare workers putting their lives on the line every day. Life gets crazy and the world may be a scary place, but with the love of a Savior who sacrificed everything to bring new life - ALL can be right in the world again, and life will prevail.
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